Forgotten Promises
by Feminine Wiles
Summary: It was as though someone was trying to call out to him through his dreams, reminding him of memories he had left behind and promises he had long forgotten.
1. Chapter 1

Wow,it's taken me almost 3 years to come back to this. I'm really sorry to everyone who took the time to read and review. I'm going to get back to it though! I updated the first chapter slightly and am working on the second!

Enjoy! And remember, reviews make me feel loved!

**Disclaimer: **Not mine! Not mine! Not mine! I own nothing, including characters, songs and anything else I might use to help keep me from going crazy at home. All characters belong to Marvel.

Chapter 1: Unknown Nightmares

_It's always the same. The low hum and maddening flicker of dim florescent lighting, the heavy scent of copper and bleach, a humid room with many doors, all opening in different directions. Eerie, disembodied moans and soft, terrified sobbing. There are cold, amber eyes on blue skin and soulless, demonic eyes with sharp gleaming teeth. The pitiable pleading from a child..._

_"Momma? Ah don't wanna go with the man momma. Please don't make meh momma. Ah'm scared..."_

_A flash of green. A streak of white. Silence._

_Finally, a horrifying scream._

xXx

Remy LeBeau awakes with a start. He reaches out beside him to someone who is not there; has never been there for as long as he can remember. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he is unable to fully comprehend where he is as the strange, sickening feeling that always plagues him after his reoccurring nightmare slowly fades and along with it the details of the dream that he seemed to be having on a nightly basis. It leaves him feeling as though there is something missing; something he had long forgotten. Slowly he lowers his head back to his pillow, but after what seems like an eternity, he resigns himself to the fact that he can't stop thinking about the blurry figures in his dreams.

Unable to fall back to sleep, Remy slips out of the comfy bed that he now occupies in a school for mutants, like himself, known as Xavier's School for the Gifted. In nothing but his boxers he silently walks out onto his small balcony. Leaning his slender, well-muscled form against the stone railing, he shuts his eerie red on black eyes and rakes his hands through his longish auburn hair. He wonders why he had ever agreed to come to such a place. Somehow it seems that the dreams have become more and more frequent since he had found himself agreeing to a temporary membership in the mysterious school and, as he found out later, team of local 'super heroes'. So far it hasn't been that bad, though if staying at this place meant never being able to sleep again he would have to speak to Ororo in the morning about his options. He knew it might hurt her, but he also knew he was better off on his own, finding it hard to adapt to working on a team and answering to someone other than himself.

Remy sighs, his thoughts returning to his dream and the nagging feeling of urgency within it. Unsure of what else to do, he looks out onto the grounds, trying to figure out the strange puzzle within his mind, but unable to fit the pieces into place.

xXx

"You are not leaving." Ororo Munroe states calmly in her rich African accent. She doesn't hesitate in the long strokes the brush makes through her shocking white hair; hair that contrasts so nicely with her dark skin. She hadn't so much as blinked at how Remy had come into her room to let her know that he would be leaving, and, as she glances at his demon like eyes in her vanity mirror, she figures her tone of voice has suggested that the conversation Remy had started is now over.

"'Scuse me, _Stormy_, but last I checked I was my own person, and am free to do as I please." Remy did not like being reprimanded like a small child, and that wasn't about to change, nor was he going to let the one person he trusts, respects and regards as a friend in his new surroundings treat him as such. Crossing his arms and leaning against one of the many shelves that held Ororo's beautiful plants he watches her expression in the reflection of her mirror.

Ororo, also known as Storm for her unique power to control the weather, swivels around in her seat, her blue eyes piercing Remy's red ones. Somehow, the woman who sits before him seems even more daunting in her seated position, looking like an African goddess in her thin white robe that reaches the floor, than when she stood almost nose to nose with him. Suddenly he knows he has lost the fight. He also silently regrets calling her by the nickname that he so lovingly bestowed upon her, knowing how much she hates it.

"Last _I_ checked, _Mr. LeBeau_, you were a man of your word. You agreed to one month, and if, after that time, this lifestyle doesn't suit you, you can leave freely with or without my consent." Ororo states with a controlled ease, her eyes narrowing slightly as Remy pushes himself away from his position against her shelves. Her eyes follow his lanky figure across the room.

Remy sits heavily on the edge of Ororo's plush bed in defeat and rakes his slender fingers through his hair, one of his nervous habits that Ororo silently takes note of, but she doesn't move; rather she remains quiet, giving Remy the opportunity to speak. After a few seconds he takes the opportunity she has offered him.

"Why it mean so much to you dat I stay?" he questions the woman sitting before him, his Cajun accent becoming heavy with his impatience. Ororo cocks her head slightly to one side as if in thought over his question before answering with a question of her own.

"The better question is: why do you feel the need to run so desperately my friend?" as she asks this Ororo stands and walks over to Remy with light airy footsteps before gently resting her hand on his well-toned shoulder.

Sighing heavily, Remy looks up at his friend, not wanting to reveal his personal problems, but not knowing how else to explain his reluctance to stay when he had promised her he would at least try.

"Can't get comfortable here 'Ro. Can't sleep. Been having dese weird dreams dat keep me up at night, worryin' 'bout someone I ain't sure I even know…" Remy tears his gaze away from Storm's as his words trail off into silence and he searches his memory for something he didn't know he had remembered. His words have surprised even him; never before had he felt that there was someone else in his dream, someone he might recognize.

Ororo squeezes his shoulder softly, causing Remy to look back towards her. Her blue eyes are now filled with concern for him and his mind wanders slightly as he wonders if maybe her feelings went beyond being just friends, to something more. He knew he had toyed with the idea in own mind, maybe she had as well.

"Perhaps the professor could help you Remy. Perhaps he could decipher what these dreams are trying to tell you." Ororo says in a motherly tone, trying not to upset the man before her.

Suddenly Remy is angry, more with himself for thinking that the goddess before him could possibly grow to love him; that anyone could possibly love him or be concerned about him. It always came down to the same single point, someone just wanted to make him do something he had no interest in doing. He shoves Storm's hand away, his eyes glowing as though a red fire has been lit behind them.

"T'anks, but no t'anks, 'Ro. Don't need ya Professor lookin' around in my head. No one needs dat kind of help." Remy's tone is icy; cold. Standing up, he swiftly makes his way to the door.

"I'll stay for de rest of de month, den I'm gone, so get used to it now." Remy states angrily as he exits the room.

xXx


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

_Sometimes, while she sleeps, the voices stop tormenting her and she remembers kinder times. Times of being outside and playing under bright blue skies with soft green grass between her toes. Times of going to school and seeing friends and candy and birthday parties with lots and lots of people to keep her safe; people who might have even loved her. Times when she must have had a mother who would kiss her scraped knees, and a father who would tell her that the boogey man in the closet was just a bad dream from her imagination. Brothers and sisters she never knew would swim to the surface of her memories and she would choke on her sobs as they strangled her throat and caused tears to spring from her eyes. Because that is when she would be pulled back to her reality and remembers that she has none of these things, has never had any of these things._

_Not her memories, she would eventually remember. Not her family. Not her green grass and blue skies and vibrant playground. Not her happier times._

_Not hers. Not hers. Not hers._

_Who is she now? She always has a hard time remembering the answer to that question when she wakes. All the voices want to be heard, all the personalities want to live through her mind and she becomes lost in the everlasting background static that is their pleas and cries._

_Eventually she hears the key in the lock, the faint click as it turns, and her eyes snap open. No, she never really sleeps here. He never gives her the chance. She sweeps the small cell desperately with her eyes, searching for something; anything that might take her away from the mad man with the demon eyes and razor teeth._

_Her own personal boogey man._

_As with every time he comes for her, she finds nothing more than the ten square feet of concrete, surrounded by thick iron bars. A wide drain sits in the middle of the floor in case she couldn't wait for the twice daily trips to the grooming rooms. _

_Nothing more. _

_It isn't surprising really; he would never leave anything sharp enough to damage herself with in her cell. He would never give her the satisfaction of taking away one of his favorite toys._

_She feels her body start to tense then shake uncontrollably as the tears blur her vision so that she can barely make out the man who stands in front of her; a sick and twisted smile on his face. _

_What does he want from her this time? _

_Blood? _

_Another piece of her? _

_Another sample to see if the last experiment had worked?_

'_Please god, let him just cut out a piece of me and leave. Make it quick. Please don't let it be the alternative, please make him go away.' She pleads silently with closed eyes to someone else's deity. They never answered her pathetic attempts at cries for help, but somewhere within her fractured psyche she is told that this is what you do when all other methods for survival fail._

_But as she looks up at him she knows it won't be so simple today. He stands above her, perhaps savoring the terror that comes with the realization of what he wants. _

_She hadn't even noticed when she had stood and backed herself into the corner like the injured animal she has become in this monsters care, but she feels herself slide down the wall that had been holding her up, her legs too weak to support what little weight they held._

_The man with the demon eyes and the razor teeth; the man with the skin as white as a corpse's and hands as cold as ice; the boogey man who stands before her, grins as if amused. He pulls the thin medical gloves over his hands, not that he needs them; he made sure her powers are muted with the collar he placed around her neck whenever he was done with her. He lets the powdered latex hit his wrists with a sickening snap._

_No._

_Not this time._

_Not another one. _

_Thin lips curling into an evil smile, red eyes glowing like embers in the dark, a long shadow falling over her as she tries to back away from his ice cold grasp._

"_Good morning Anna. I have a new patient for you to see today."_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

Playing cards scatter off the bed as Remy bolts up, glowing red eyes wide and lungs gasping for air. The tortured scream seems to echo around his room, fading quickly into silence.

It is real this time. It has to be.

He grips the sheets tightly between his fingers, twisting the soft cotton as though it might anchor him to the bed as he searches his room for what might have caused such an anguished cry, but he can't find anything unusual; nothing is out of place. No one is there. The reality of the situation slowly sinks in. He tries to think back to what he had been doing earlier that morning.

The last thing he remembers was sitting on his bed; just thinking while he played a slow game of solitaire.

He must have fallen asleep. The scream had been in his dreams. That can't be right. It had sounded so real; so familiar, as though he had heard it many times before. He thinks he knows the voice behind it, but he doesn't know from where.

He sits frozen on his bed, fear crawling up his spine as he waits; although what he is waiting for he does not know. After what seems like an eternity his heart beat finally slows and his tight grip on his sheets loosens.

He was worried that someone had been coming for him. Why would he be worried about such an absurd thing?

No one is coming for him.

He lets out a deep sigh, shielding his eyes against the bright sunlight that shines into the room from the open window. It is still late morning. He hasn't even been asleep for that long.

"What Remy t'inkin'? Fallin' asleep like dat." Remy shakes his head, talking to himself while trying desperately to forget the horrible scream that follows him from his nightmare.

He needs a drink.

Remy rubs his eyes with his palm while exiting his room. Trying to regain his focus, he takes a deep breath and heads towards the stairs that will lead him to the main floor where he can then make his way to the kitchen.

Remy is so distracted; he doesn't see her until he is nearly on top of her. Grabbing the solid oak railing, Remy steadies himself to stop from tumbling down the stairs.

Her body lay crumpled at the top of the stairs unmoving, her fiery red hair covering her face. Remy doesn't recognize her; he must not have met this member of the X-men yet.

Remy drops to his knees and lifts her wrist, checking for the familiar rhythm that indicates the pulse. Once he finds it he scoops up the woman's light body with ease and tries to think of where he should go. He knows there is a med lab in the mansion, but he hasn't taken the time to learn the blueprints yet and he wasn't paying much attention when Stormy had told him where the important facilities were located.

He doesn't need to worry for long though. Before he can take his first step, the short man he knows as Logan comes running around the corner and a furry blue man, Dr. McCoy, comes running up the stairs with a medical bag in his hand. Remy briefly wonders how they knew of the passed out woman in his arms.

"Jean!"

Jean must be the women in his arms. Dr. McCoy picks up her wrist and checks for her pulse like Remy had done only moments before. Once he is satisfied that Jean is still alive he holds his arms out to take her from Remy, who shifts her into the doctor's arms awkwardly. Just as Remy lets go of Jean he suddenly finds himself slammed against the wall, Logan's rough fingers tight around his neck. The man hadn't seemed to like Remy from the moment Storm had brought him through the front doors of mansion.

"What the hell did you do to Jean, Swamp Rat?" Logan demands.

Remy struggles to find his voice, gasping as he speaks.

"Didn' touch de femme, homme. Just found her on de ground, passed out."

"Bull! Knew we couldn't trust ya, you good fer nothin', piece of-"

"Logan!" The woman's shaky voice cuts Logan off abruptly, "That's enough! Remy didn't lay a finger on me."

Remy feels the grip on his neck loosen. As Logan steps back, not taking his suspicious glare off Remy, Remy raises his hand to his throat, rubbing the tender flesh beneath his fingers gingerly.

Remy looks to his left, towards the woman with the fiery hair, who now stands rubbing her head with one hand and supporting herself on the shoulder of the furry blue doctor who stands beside her.

Remy eyes her suspiciously.

"I know your name because I can read your mind, although I will admit there is a tremendous amount of static that seems to interfere with that." Jean states matter-of-factly, her eyes shut tightly.

"Good ta hear, chere, don' need ya pokin' around in dere." Remy speaks with an icy tone to his voice, his sudden distrust for the woman before him pushing aside the concern he had felt only moments before at finding her laying on the floor.

"Jean, are you ok? What happened?" Dr. McCoy asks, sensing the tension in Remy's voice and trying to change the subject.

"I don't know Hank..." Jean shakes her head slightly before looking up, revealing bright green eyes that are wide with confusion, and something else; perhaps pain.

Remy has to choke down a gasp as he looks into her eyes; his own widening with recognition, not at the woman standing before him, but recognition of something locked deep within his memories. He steps back slightly, a strange emotion welling up within him. Jean blinks a couple times before turning back to Dr. McCoy.

"I need to see the professor Hank." Jean's tone has turned urgent, almost panicky, "I was heading out to meet Scott when someone screamed in my mind. She needs help! She's calling for help. I need to find her before it gets worse!" Jean's voice quickly becomes shrill as she recalls what had made her pass out at the top of the stairs. Dr. McCoy nods; obviously used to the woman's strange demands. He quickly turns, holding Jean by the elbow and they make their way down the steps, Logan following close behind them.

Remy stands frozen as they disappear from sight. He doesn't want that drink any longer.

_Green eyes, wide with fear and pain and confusion stare up at him. He looks around, iron bars, stone walls, so cold. Where is he? Why is he there again? There has to be some reason._

A cold sweat starts to creep down Remy's neck.

The woman, Jean, had heard the scream too. Was it a coincidence? Did she just get some backlash from his nightmare? If she was a mind reader like she claimed, it could be possible. And if that was all it was, how come he was starting to remember things that he could never place before?

The emotion, the thing that had welled up within him as he had stared into those green eyes, it was guilt, but guilt over what?

And why can he remember feeling so cold and scared, like only a child can? Was there something missing from his memories, something he couldn't place? Another piece to the mysterious puzzle he was always trying to solve?

No. Remy shakes his head. No, this place is making him crazy, making him hear things and see things that have nothing to do with him.

He needs to leave, before he completely lost his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Some small tweaks to the previous chapters, I realized I kept switching from past tense to present tense very randomly and it just didn't sound right...

Chapter 4

_She never understood the point of the grooming's; making her sit before the mirror and stare at herself as some strange woman with green hair and eyes that are many shades lighter than her own plays with her hair. Pulling it up and twisting it so that it can be pinned and adorned with barrettes to the top of her head. The woman smiles insanely and gently washes the tear stains from Anna's cheeks; as though she is being prepped for a play or dance recital. _

_As though she should be excited for what is to come._

_Automatically Anna blocks out the woman with the acid green hair and stares at her own reflection, trying to recognize the green eyes that stare back at her. _

_Sometimes, for mere seconds, strange colors will bedazzle her reflection, changing the color of her irises ever so slightly. _

_A touch of blue here, a flash of hazel there, a fleck of brown, a bit of gray; but the color that brings the tears back silently to ruin her fresh make up is the sparkling ruby red that dances across her irises now, burning like hot embers._

_Instantly she squeezes her eyes close; trying so hard to shut out the memories only to have them push back with more force than ever before. They flood the front of her mind, as clear as if they had happened only moments before. She remembers his smile, the feel of his fingertips; the warmth of his breath as he whispers in her ear. Just as suddenly as she remembers these simple things, he stands before her in her mind, a smile on his face._

"_Don't worry chere. I'll get us out of here. I'll find an exit and we be able to leave here and never hurt again."_

_She grits her teeth; not opening her eyes, blocking out the reflection in the mirror._

"_I won't leave you here. I promise"_

_Her shoulders slump and her chin drops to her chest. _

_He promised her. He wasn't supposed to leave her alone. He was supposed to save her. But that was before he had been taken away from her. That was before..._

_Before she had killed him._

_She takes a deep breath and exhales; willing her tears away._

_It won't be long now. She is ready. The strange woman places a warm hand under her chin and directs her to look at herself in the mirror. Always she stares at the sad, sad angel that looks back at her. White and auburn ringlets frame her thin face, smoky eyes that now reflect an icy blue look seemingly dead and lifeless; those same eyes flick to hands that clasp each other tightly in her lap. Gold bracelets adorn her small wrists and suddenly she is wondering; how old is she? How long has she been in this strange place? How many people has she claimed as her own?_

_The door opens and she stands automatically, the soft hem of the simple, yet beautiful thin white dress brushes against her bare ankles. _

_Anna smiles at her captor and lifts her chin, exposing the thick metal collar around her delicate neck. _

_The man grins as he pulls the key from his pocket. He's amused by her forwardness._

"_And who do I have the pleasure of talking to today?" he asks as he softly cups her chin in his icy latex covered palm, red eyes glowing as he searches her eyes._

_Anna watches from inside her mind as someone else takes over her voice. Someone much stronger than herself, someone who seeks to protect her even after Anna had brought the end to the woman's tortured life. _

"_Why, Mr. Sinister, please don't tell me that you don't recognize me." _

_The man raises an eyebrow at the icy tone that leaves her lips._

"_My dear Emma, trying to protect our sweet Anna are you?"_

"_Someone has to."_

_He smiles and strokes his chin as though in thought, but does not say anything more._

_SMACK!_

_She is suddenly on the cold hard floor, the cheek his hand has struck stinging hotly with pain as tears well up in her eyes. Green eyes. Emma is gone, leaving Anna to stand up to the boogey man all on her own._

"_No one can protect her."_

_He yanks Anna up by the wrist and unlocks the collar, letting it drop to the concrete floor with a loud metal clatter. Her hand reaches up and gingerly touches the chaffed skin underneath. _

_He tsks._

"_We'll have to put some cream on that after you're done." He says to her matter-of-factly as he grabs her by the elbow to lead her out of the room._

_There is no more chatter between them, no more concern over superficial aesthetics. The boogey man simply marches her down the dim hallway, the hum of florescent lightening the only sound to be heard._

_He stops at a door and pulls out another key. Her chest feels heavy; she can't remember how to breathe as the panic in her heart begins to set in. She doesn't want to see what lies behind that door; doesn't want to claim another person's personality._

_She sways and begins to tremble, trying to pull away as the fear grows in her, but the boogey man's grip remains tight around her frail arm. She closes her eyes as tight as she can, trying to close out the world around her. The psyches close in around her, she feels herself drowning within them. Who is she? Where is she? Why is she here?_

_**Anna**__._

_Her eyes snap open, is that her name?_

_**Anna.**_

_Yes, that is her name. She is Anna._

_**Don't be afraid, Anna. We will find you. We will save you.**_

_The door opens, a dark skinned girl younger than her sits in a metal chair, her hands are strapped to the arms, her mouth is gagged and her brown eyes are shining with tears and outright terror. _

_Anna's eyes widen and dart about the room frantically as it begins to shimmer slightly in a strange glow._

_WHAM!_

_The girl's head snaps to the left, eyes squeezed tight in pain, a red mark settling on her right cheek._

_The boogey man grabs the girl's chin and shakes his bony white finger in her face._

"_Bad Dani. Very bad girl. You know better than to use your powers here."_

_He leans back and spreads his arm out to Anna, flashing his razor teeth._

"_You don't want to scare away your beautiful angel now do you?" _

_Anna tenses. She hates how much he enjoys this; how he smiles and revels in their pain and misery and parades her as some savior to his victims, knowing full well that she is the end the of them._

_How long has the other girl been here? Been strapped to that chair? How much blood has the boogey man taken? How many incisions has he made? If Anna focuses, she can see the thin white lines on the girl's arms. _

_Dani's head slumps forward; the last hit was the one to break her. Anna can see the submission in her eyes. She looks up, stares at Anna, transfixed; perhaps believing that she is a real angel. The girl's last hope of escape. _

_Dani's eyes meet Anna's and they beg her to end it._

_Make the hurt stop. Make the pain go away._

_Anna breaks away from Dani's stare and looks to the boogey man with wide eyes, waiting for him to pull out the syringe with the sedative. The sedative that will relax the girl, make it less painful for her and easier for Anna._

_The boogey man smiles._

"_Not this time Anna."_

_Oh god. Oh no. No. Nononono._

_Anna takes a step back. Then another. And another. Until she hits the solid metal door and gasps._

_He wants to see what will happen if her victim is sober; aware of everything that is happening to her. _

_Not again. Never again._

_But, of course, she can't stop it from happening. Can't control her powers. _

_The boogey man grabs her wrist and pulls her forward; makes her stand before the girl strapped helplessly to the cold metal chair in the middle of the room. He leans over her and gently pulls the gag from Dani's mouth._

_The girls stare at each other in stunned silence. Then Dani opens her mouth to say something._

_The boogey man presses Anna's hands over the girl's balled fists before any sound can leave her lips and both girls gasp. _

_Her name is Dani. Danielle Moonstar. She is Cheyenne. She is a mutant. And at this moment she wants nothing more than to make the pain stop._

_She wants to die. She wants the torment to end._

_It hurts and Anna wants to let go; the pain is almost unbearable, but even through all the pain Dani is confused and tries to fight. The transfer is not going fast enough; not for him. Not for the Boogey Man._

_He pushes her head forward suddenly, forcing her lips to meet Dani's in one final deadly kiss._

_**Anna, hold on, we will find you. I promise, we will not leave you.**_

_Then the room goes white._

_xXx_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A strong psychic backlash travels through the mansion, knocking those closest to the source off their feet.

Moments later an emergency meeting is called by Xavier.

There aren't many people in the mansion today, but there are enough to call a meeting of the highest urgency. Remy promptly ignores the call to the briefing room not once, not twice, but three times. He may have to spend a month here, but he doesn't see why he has to co-operate with anyone, especially when he has this gut feeling that he doesn't want to go wherever this meeting might take him.

"Remy."

Remy ignores the African accent that comes from the other side of his door. He closes his eyes and lowers his head to his hands. He is tired of people calling his name for this stupid meeting. Even before the backlash he's sure someone had been calling his name urgently.

He really doesn't want to think about what it might mean.

The door to his room opens and Remy curses. Why hadn't he locked the damn thing earlier?

"Remy, we need you down in the briefing room." When Storm sees that Remy has no intentions of moving, she places her hands on her hips and glares. "Now, Remy."

Remy sighs and gets to his feet, but doesn't say a word to the woman in front of him. He doesn't ask why it's so important he be there, he's almost sure the whole thing has something to do with him. He simply slides past her and makes his way down the hallway as Storm follows closely behind.

The closer Remy gets to the room, the more he feels the urge to run; to get away as a cold sweat creeps down his neck. Something doesn't feel right, wild fear begins to work its way through him and he doesn't want to remember whatever it is he's supposed to remember as his chest tightens and he finds it hard to breathe.

Suddenly the walls are shimmering, than they begin to fade from the warm homey oak to cold hard concrete. The hallway becomes narrower and florescent lights hum overhead. It's like in his dreams, only the smells of bleach and copper are stronger; the pleas from the various doors in the hallway clearer. He can't shut them out as the voices grow louder and louder the further he walks down the hallway.

_Where am I?_

_I want my mommy._

_Please make the pain stop._

_I want to go home._

Remy begins to back up. He doesn't want to go through the door at the end of the hall, he wants to turn and run as fast as he can, but he backs into someone behind him and when he turns and looks up a man towers above him smiling; he is always smiling, with sharp gleaming teeth and demon eyes that rival Remy's own.

The Boogey Man.

Remy doesn't resist, he knows there's no escape. Instead he turns and keeps moving forward, trying to swallow the fear making its way up his throat, threatening to spill out in a horrific scream. All the pieces of the puzzle are suddenly slipping into place and he's terrified of the picture they are forming in his memory.

Remy closes his eyes for a moment, trying to wake up.

It's not real.

It's just another nightmare.

He is not underground.

His pere did not sell him to the highest bidder and leave him to die at the hands of the strange man.

A voice from within his mind laughs. His own voice.

_But ya didn't die at de hands o' dis monster did ya? Ya woke up in a hospital, ya dusted yaself off an' ya went about ya life as if everythin' was normal, as if ya never been ta dis place, as if ya never made dose promises ta her, ta de one person in de world ya needed more dan anyone else._

_Ya. Simply. Forgot._

_Of course, who could blame ya? How could ya be expected ta remember when she took away all de pain, all de guilt, all de memories._

_She?_

_Her._

_Anna._

Remy's eyes snap open, the door is unlocked and Remy stands facing her, but it's not real. She's not really standing in front of him. He knows that now. She is older than he remembers her and wearing white. Her hair is pinned atop her head, ringlets hang down to frame her face and she is surrounded by an almost blinding light; as though she is an angel. As though she is here to take him away.

That's when Remy screams.

xXx


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

"_Where are we?"_

_Remy stands in front of the doorway of the cell he had broken into only seconds before. He had heard her sobbing sometimes and asking for her momma. He had wanted to see who else was in the strange place with him. He was afraid, but he was also lonely and her accent reminded him of home. It wasn't difficult for him to pick the simple cell door locks and slip out unnoticed. _

_He shrugs in answer as the girl in the corner sniffs. She's sitting on the concrete floor in the corner, hugging her scrawny pale legs to her chest. _

_The girl is barefoot and Remy wonders if she's cold, wearing nothing more than a white tank top and faded jean shorts. She looks 12, maybe 13, the same age as him. She has strange hair; auburn waves that hang down to her shoulders and pure white bangs that hide her face. She looks up at him, pushing the white behind her ears; shining emerald green eyes stare up at him. Remy is awestruck. _

_She's beautiful._

_She blushes and looks back down. Remy remembers his own demon eyes and also looks away; embarrassed. She must think he's ugly. He must scare her. The silence grows awkward between them as he begins to regret his curiosity and turns to leave before she can reject him like everyone else._

"_Are ya related ta the Boogey Man?"_

_Remy looks up suddenly, confused by the girl's reference, but thankful she is still speaking to him._

"_Who?"_

_She traces imaginary circles on the floor with one hand, but doesn't return his gaze._

"_The man who takes our blood." Her voice is quiet; tired, but the unmistakable Mississippi accent is comforting to Remy. "Ya'll have eyes like him."_

_Oh. That man. Remy shivers as he remembers the pricks of the needle whenever the man with the demon eyes came to see him._

"_Non. I be in de same situation as you petite." Remy answers darkly. His gaze returns to the girl. She's shivering._

_Slowly he approaches her and shrugs off his coat, lowering it carefully over her shoulders. She grabs at its hems and pulls it tightly around herself. _

"_Thank ya...um..."_

"_Remy."_

"_Thank ya Remy." She says softly. Another silence settles between them, unsure of how to make small talk as prisoners of a mad man._

"_Remy?"_

"_Oui?"_

"_How long ya reckon we've been here?"_

_Remy's shoulders slump as he slides down against the wall to sit beside her._

"_Don't know petite. Don't know."_

_xXx_

_Her name is Anna._

_Remy picks the lock every day and sneaks over to her. Every day it gets worse. The boogey man just takes their blood at first, then he starts to cut them; taking small patches of skin as samples for whatever it is that he's doing. Next comes the torture of one kind or another. Remy doesn't understand what the man gets out of it; what the point of hurting them in such ways is._

_Sometimes he finds Anna sitting unscathed for the day, other times he finds her curled up in a ball on the floor, crying. _

_Today is one of the other days._

_Remy can hear her sobbing before he can see her. He quickens his pace and picks the lock in haste. As soon as the door is open he's inside Anna's cell and on his knees. She reaches out for him, and he grabs her hand to pull her close to him and holds her, stroking her hair softly. Guilt for not being able to protect her from the pain the man brings them tears at his insides._

"_It's ok Chere. It'll be ok. Remy'll find a way out of here. We'll be free an' we'll never hurt again." _

"_Do ya promise?" Anna asks pathetically through heavy tears._

"_Remy lifts Anna's head so that she can see the determination in his eyes._

_Oui chere. Remy promise."_

_Anna closes her eyes and clings to Remy as she buries her face in his chest. That's how they sit for what seems like an eternity._

"_Ah was wrong before, Rem." Anna says, pulling Remy out of his trance, he looks down at her._

"_Your eyes ain't anythang like his. They're amazin'." _

_Remy blushes as he leans forward to gently kiss Anna's forehead._

_xXx_

_The longer they stay, the more interesting the boogey man's methods become. It becomes obvious what his intent is as soon as he has the break through with Remy. He is trying to trigger their mutant powers. Now when Remy is returned to his cell he wears a thick metal collar around his neck, so that he can't blow his way out of the prison they are trapped in._

_One night when he goes to see Anna there are no sounds. He finds her lying still on the floor and he panics._

"_Anna!" Remy whispers urgently._

"_Go away!" Anna growls. She doesn't move, she doesn't look up, something is wrong with her voice._

_Remy steps back, unsure of why she doesn't want him there. He decides to ignore her and quickly picks the lock on her cell, once inside he approaches her unmoving form slowly._

"_Anna, what's wrong?" Remy sinks to his knees beside her. He's about to place his hand on her shoulder when she screams._

"_Don't touch me!"_

_Remy recoils as Anna crawls to the corner of her cell and huddles there. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she lowers her forehead to her boney knees and squeezes her eyes tightly._

_Something is wrong with her eyes._

"_Anna...Look at me...Please." Remy begs, his voice starting to break._

_Looking up, Anna smiles, her eyes aren't green anymore; they are a strange glowing amber. _

"_My name's not Anna." _

_Remy blanches as he stands up. Tears spring to his eyes, this is Anna, but at the very same time it isn't Anna. He panics, he can't let her leave him; he can't be alone in this place._

_He locks his eyes on hers and he swears he can see a glimmer of green pass over them. Anna's still in there. Remy shallows his fear and takes a step towards her. When she stands up, he decides to take another._

"_Anna?"_

_She shakes her head._

"_Anna please come back." _

_Another step closer._

"_Anna don't leave me here." _

_Amber slowly fades to green._

"_Anna, I...I love you."_

_Remy takes a final step forward and places his lips on hers without thinking. At first there is warmth, then a strange tingling. Then there is pain. Blinding, searing, and terrifying pain; as though his very life essence is being pulled from his body. _

_Then there is nothing._

_xXx_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Woke up in de hospital some time later. Said dey found me in the street. Comatose."

Remy sits at the big table in the briefing room, his hands won't stop shaking. He feels weak.

Xavier, Jean and Remy had passed out; the only difference between the three of them was that Remy wouldn't stop screaming before he ended up on the floor curled into a ball.

After Storm had calmed him down, had assured him he wasn't back in that place, that he was safe, Remy told them everything; all that he had suddenly remembered from that time when he was younger, caged and hopeless.

Now, as Remy sits there, he can't hear the X-Men as they talk amongst themselves. He can't hear anything but her voice; Anna's voice, so full of tears and pain. He stares at the table wide eyed and head in hands; all the forgotten memories washing over him one by one; drowning him. He closes his eyes, trying to answer the questions racing through his mind.

How could he have forgotten such a big chunk of his life? How could so many important memories be missing from his mind? Had her mutation been triggered that day? Had her power somehow took them all from him?

But then Remy thinks: did he really forget her? All those nights, waking up in a sweat, searching for someone, but never finding them...he had always been searching for her hadn't he? Had known something was missing, right?

Slowly Remy is pulled from his trance and back to the briefing room.

"-my? Remy?"

He looks up at Storm with confusion.

"Where did this all happen Remy?" Storm asks gently.

"Oh." Remy squeaks as he gathers his thoughts. He answers the question as if he were talking about the weather.

"It happened here. In New York."

Everyone stares at him in disbelief.

"That's impossible..." Xavier whispers, his eyes wide, "we would've...I would've sensed such pain this close to us."

Remy shrugs and rests his head back in his hands to steady himself. He doesn't know what to feel, the shock isn't wearing off; he feels numb.

Logan leans against the far wall, up until now he has had nothing to say about the strange situation that is unfolding before them all. He speaks up, suspicion lacing his words.

"Tell me, Cajun, if you could pick the locks on your cells so damn easy, how come you couldn't get out of that place?"

Suddenly there is a fire lit within Remy's chest and all the numbness, all the shock melts away like ice in a flame. Remy's eyes snap open, glowing a deep red ember as the anger at what Logan is suggesting courses through him. Remy's chair goes flying from him as he jumps up and lunges towards the short Canadian man.

Maybe Logan is setting him up, maybe Logan isn't actually expecting it, although that seems very unlikely to everyone in the room, but Remy gets him down. He pins Logan's shoulders down with his knees and reaches into one of the inside pockets of his coat, withdrawing 3 glowing cards charged with kinetic energy.

Logan smiles at Remy and cocks an eyebrow.

"Ya don' tink Remy tried? Ya don' tink I risked myself ev'ryday tryin' to get out of dat hell?" Remy spat at the man beneath him.

No one in the room moved, not wanting to set either of the mutants on the floor off.

"Dere was no locks on de main doors, mon ami. Not de regular type anyway. I tried, mon dieu, I tried. I couldn't get through dem wit'out bein' electrocuted."

"Then why didn't ya fight Cajun? Why didn't you protect that girl with everything you had? Instead of leaving her alone every night. Instead of letting that psycho take her for his twisted experiments. Every. Single. Day."

Remy grits his teeth, he wants to scream his next words at Logan, but the fire inside him is fading, the anger disappearing.

"We was jus' kids...we...I..." Remy stumbles on his words as all the strength leaves his body and the cards in his hand fizzle out and return to their normal state.

"Ya right." Remy says as he gets up, his eyes downcast, "I shoulda done more, I shoulda stopped de boogey man. I shoulda remembered. Because o' me she wasn't protected. Because o' me she wasn't safe. Because o' me..."

Remy can't continue, but Logan has no problems stating what Remy leaves unsaid as Beast helps him up off the floor.

"Because of you, she's probably dead."

"Logan!" Storm glares at Logan as she helps Remy back to his seat. "You cannot possibly blame him for something that he had no control over. They were children; children that had their lives, their very innocence stolen from them. He was beaten and made to feel helpless and alone, what could they do?"

Logan, who resumes his spot in the doorway, snorts.

There is a silence that stretches across the whole room. Broken only when Jean stands.

"Anna's not dead."

xXx


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

_It's so easy to try and drown; falling down down down into the vast, unending terror and static that is Anna's mind. It's easy to let go and forget who she is and why she is what she is; to lose herself to all the others who want to be her, want to live again and fight for a consciousness that she has taken away from them. There are stronger wills than her own here and she would happily succumb to any one of them, if only to forget who she is and to be lost forever, left numb and unfeeling to the world and the horrors that it holds for her._

_Yet every time she strays too far, every time she is on the tip of the cliff's edge, every time she is about to take that final step; someone pulls her back, someone calls out and forces her to acknowledge who she is and where she is and why she cannot give up._

"_**Anna?"**_

_Anna sits on the floor of her cell, tracing imaginary circles with her finger on the cold concrete beneath her. She is tired and swaying slightly from the mental exhaustion of her new power._

"_**Where ya wan' go when we get outta dis place chere?"**_

_Anna wants so desperately to believe that this is real. That he is back and she is not alone and that he'll never leave her side again. She wants to believe that she can feel his fingers softly trace circles on the back of her neck as he asks impossible questions to try and make them both feel better. Make them both feel that there might be hope._

_She just wants it to be real._

_But it's not real. He is not there. It's all a side effect of Dani's power; the power to project a person's greatest desire or worst nightmare._

_Anna is already in her own worst nightmare; that only leaves her greatest desire: Remy._

"_Somewhere far away. Somewhere warm. Somewhere safe." Anna answers the illusion sitting next to her as she forces a smile and tries to be happy. Tries to pretend nothing has changed since her powers manifested that horrible night so long ago._

_Reaching up, Anna touches the tender skin on her neck. The boogey man has left her collar off for the night, unable to get it back on her after Dani's powers took over. She feels naked without it. She knows he is watching her; through camera lens, hidden safely somewhere else in the underground prison._

_Underground. _

_She knows they are underground now. Dani shows her that, Emma confirms it. They help her understand what is happening down here. In the sewers of New York City._

_The boogey man's experiments are all for fun; they have no real meaning behind them. He is mad and he produces no real results. It turns out Anna isn't the boogey man's only torture device either. He had been using Dani as a way of accessing the fears and dreams of his victims so that he might exploit them for his own twisted needs. _

_Anna had struggled with the memories at first as Dani's life entered her body; screaming as each nightmare from each person came to fill her vision. She fought against the boogey man's grasp. The room filled with scenes of torture, abuse and death all around them. Dani went limp and the boogey man pulled Anna away from her with such force Anna fell to the ground where she curled into a ball and continued to scream. The boogey man tried to pull her up, make her shut her mouth, but she wouldn't stay still, wouldn't open her eyes against the visions surrounding them, wouldn't silence the screams that crept up her throat. When he finally gave up, the boogey man simply grabbed Anna by her hair and dragged her back to her cell by force._

_Now Anna sits in her cell, afraid to break her concentration over her illusions. She doesn't want to be left alone with all the voices trying to be heard in her mind._

_The cell shimmers and Anna frowns. She doesn't want the projection to fade away. She doesn't want to be alone anymore, but she's getting tired, her eyelids are so heavy, Dani's powers are draining her energy quickly._

_**It's ok Anna. Sleep. You need to rest darling. I can watch over you. **_

_Anna blinks and sways as her eyelids lower and she falls asleep, Emma's soft whispers comforting her as she floats into what would hopefully be a dreamless sleep._

_xXx_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

It doesn't take long to find them, not with the help of cerebro, a computer used to locate mutants. Now that they know what they are looking for they can pinpoint the signature of a certain mutant, a mutant they know; a mutant who is trying to help them.

Emma Frost. A friend of Logan's; or as close to a friend as Logan seems to have. She has been calling out, amplifying Anna's cries for help in hopes that someone might hear her.

They are underground, under the city of New York. The odd thing is that the woman's power registers in two different areas of the underground prison, as though there are two of her combining their powers to call for help.

In the Black Bird Jean and Xavier probe Remy's mind, accessing the once buried memories in hopes of finding entry to the underground laboratory of Nathaniel Essex, a once brilliant scientist gone mad, who has secluded himself under the streets of New York in order to continue with his strange experiments on mutants without objection or interruptions from others.

The Boogey Man.

They find the entrance; a heavy manhole off a side street in downtown. They land the jet and cloak it. There is only Remy, Storm, Beast, Jean, Scott and Logan; the urgency is not lost on any of them and so they had decided not to wait for other members of the X-Men to return. Xavier and Storm stay on the jet while the rest of the small team descend into the sewers below the city.

Once they are underground, Remy begins to panic. His whole body breaks into a sweat as the concrete walls close in on him. His breathing becomes laboured and his eyes dart around the damp tunnels frantically.

The memories are crashing down on him. Burying him beneath a heavy blanket of fear and doubt and guilt. His hands fly to his temples as he grits his teeth and squeezes his eyes shut. Remy sinks to his knees and starts shaking violently. Beast and Jean rush to his side.

It's too much all at once.

He can't do it.

He has to do it.

He has to find Anna.

There is a pause that stretches on forever; then all at once Remy exhales, breathes in and gets to his feet.

Anna is what matters now, not his fears of the place before him, not his worries of her hatred towards him, not his guilt for leaving her behind.

Remy is here now, he will never leave Anna behind again.

When they reach the labs, Logan leading the way, everyone comes to a sudden stop.

It's not the sight of the lab that stops them in their tracks, but the unnerving silence. Everything stands as if frozen in time and nobody moves, afraid that the world might come crumbling down around them all at once if they make a sound.

"He's gone." Jean whispers finally, green eyes wide as she scans the strange room full of half full beakers, metal tables and strange instruments. Logan grunts in agreement.

"Non!" Remy whips around to face the red haired telepath. A new wave of panic is setting in on him. If Essex is gone, wouldn't that mean Anna is gone as well? That he has taken her and Remy is no closer to finding her than when he couldn't even remember her existence?

No. No. No.

He doesn't believe it. Anna is in the underground lab. Remy can feel her.

Remy takes off without warning, leaving everyone behind.

He stumbles through room after abandoned room full of equipment and tables and strange devices, before he reaches the all too familiar hallway; doors lining either side of it. He freezes for what feels like an eternity as it sinks in that he has walked this hallway too many times to count, that he has lived in one of these rooms for months and months and months, that at one point in time he had never believed he would leave this place, let alone step foot in it again had he gotten the chance to get away.

The doors are unlocked. Each one opening to shed light on empty cells and strange set ups. One room reveals a strange beeping, like that from a hospital, as Remy opens it. He finds two rows of people on gurneys all attached to machines monitoring their vital signs. Somehow he knows Anna isn't here and leaves the room for Hank to deal with.

Remy quickly exits the room and walks down the hall only to abruptly stop before a door that is all too familiar to him; a door he has seen in his dreams, in his nightmares every night. He reaches for the handle, feels the cold metal beneath his fingers and hesitates.

Anna is behind this door.

He takes a deep breath as his free hand slips into his pocket and he pulls out the modified power inhibitor Hank had made up recently, the thin metal designed to look like an ordinary bracelet.

Remy turns the handle.

The room is dark; the light from the hallway leaks into the room and slowly everything comes into focus. His cell sits empty, probably unused for some time. He traces the bars with his fingertips, slightly mesmerised by the familiarity they hold, the memories of watching as the man he now knows as Nathaniel Essex would unlock the door and praying each time that he was coming for Remy and not the beautiful, helpless girl in the cell that sat across the room.

A soft moan floats on the air and Remy snaps out of his trance. He looks up, his eyes following the sound to the cell opposite where he stands.

Anna's cell.

He approaches it slowly and suddenly he is thrown back in time, to the last night he saw her; lying motionless on the concrete floor of her cell. He panics, acts on instinct and runs to her, picks the lock and skids to a stop next to her unmoving form.

This time is different however; Remy quickly realizes that Anna is not in pain, not ignoring him; she is simply sleeping. He sighs a breath of relief and instantly all the stress and all the pain and all the worry and all the guilt hit him all at once and suddenly he collapses next to her on his hands and knees and bites back the sobs he's been holding back as he tries to catch his breath and burning tears slip down his cheeks.

He found her. She is right next to him. He is never going to leave her again.

"Remy?"

Remy looks up to find Jean standing outside the cell, tears blur his vision. She smiles softly at him.

"Put on the power inhibitor. I'll make sure she continues to sleep."

Remy nods numbly while biting his lip and wiping away his tears. He fumbles around in his pocket and crawls around to Anna's other side. Slipping the thin metal bracelet over her wrist carefully, he looks at her sleeping face.

She's older, her face thinner. Her body has matured, but her hair remains the same. He longs to see her eyes and turns to Jean expectantly. She nods at him.

Remy runs the back of his hand down her cheek.

"Anna?"

"Anna, please wake up..."

Anna's eyelids flutter open and all Remy can see is vivid green emeralds.

xXx


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10_

_The footsteps seem like a faraway dream. Just as suddenly as they start, they stop and everything is silent. She feels something metal slip around her wrist. It's cold, Anna furrows her brow; her limbs don't want to listen to her mental commands to move, to push herself up._

"_Anna?"_

_Anna's eyelids flutter and slowly open._

"_Anna? Please wake up..."_

_Everything's a blur; her head feels heavy, as though she's been drugged. All she can make out is red. Soft glowing red: so close, so intense. Anna's eyes cross as his eyes come into focus. _

_Her eyes widen and suddenly Anna is awake and pushing herself up off the concrete floor, scurrying backwards to the corner where she finds some pathetic sense of security. She feels grounded from the pressure of the familiar walls against her back. She takes a few deep breaths and closes her eyes, trying to wake up._

_It seems so real this time. She could feel his breath on her face, smell tobacco and cloves on his body, feel the heat that electrified the air between them. _

_Anna turns her head slowly, afraid to open her eyes. Afraid that he'll still be sitting before her. Even more afraid that he won't be._

"_Anna, open your eyes chere."_

_His voice; his smooth Cajun voice, forces her to open her green eyes, one at a time, and stare at him in awe. He crouches where she had been sleeping only seconds before. Almost everything about him is different; he's older, leaner, taller than she remembers. The only thing that's familiar; that she can find comfort in, are his eyes, burning like embers in the night, so full of concern._

"_Ya'll ain't real..." Anna's voice is shaky, wavering in conviction. Her eyes dart around the cell, trying to recognize Dani's power signature; trying to find the shimmering ends of the illusion._

_Remy tilts his head to one side, smiles a sad smile._

"_I be real, Anna. I be so sorry I left ya here, in dis horrible place for so long, but Remy ain't imaginary." He reaches out to Anna slowly, but she just shakes her head and closes her eyes once more._

"_No, this is Dani's power, Ah cain't control it. Ya'll ain't real. Ah killed ya a long time ago."_

_Tears slip from beneath Anna's closed lids and her whole body begins trembling as she covers her ears with her palms, trying to drown out everything around her._

_Emma's voice whispers to her in her mind._

_**He's not an illusion Anna.**_

_Anna feels his hand rest of her shoulder and she looks up. Remy is suddenly sitting right next to her. He gathers her into his arms and closes the gap between them, hugging her to his body as though he never wants to let her go. She struggles against him at first, but he doesn't release her from his grip. He gently rocks her back and forth as her body goes still and her breathing becomes steadier._

_He's real. She can feel his heart beating next to hers and she's left speechless._

"_Remy ain't ever gonna let ya go again Anna. Ain't never gonna leave you behind, chere."_

_Anna looks at him up with huge emerald eyes._

"_Ya promise meh Remy?"_

_He tucks away wisps of white behind Anna's ear and smiles, his red on black eyes glowing._

"_Oui, Remy promise."_

_Anna lets out a breath she isn't aware she has been holding and closes her eyes as she settles her head against Remy's chest, listening to the comforting sound of his heart._

"_Ah love ya Remy LeBeau."_

_xXx_


	11. Epilogue

Epilogue

xXx

It isn't easy in the end. They take Anna back to the mansion, along with all the other survivors of Nathaniel Essex's experiments, but it takes time. Trust is hard for her to find, control is hard for her to come by and fear is hard for her to forget.

All at once she is free and safe and everything she once believed is shattered into a million little pieces that will never fit back together. She has a room, a bed, everything she never had in the madman's care, but the nightmares still keep her awake at night and no matter what the telepaths try, they cannot make them go away.

To everyone's surprise, Remy stays at the mansion and remains a part of the team of X-Men. When he isn't on a mission or training he is with Anna, who clings to him as though he is the very air she breathes.

But he doesn't mind. Something that has been missing for so long has finally been returned to him. Remy won't be letting Anna go anytime soon.

Often they find themselves sitting in silence on the roof of the mansion, looking out at the grounds, fingers intertwined as the breeze carries the sounds of the students of the strange school loitering on the sunny campus.

Remy always finds himself seeking peeks at Anna as white wisps of her hair dance on the wind, a peaceful smile gracing her full lips and he smiles with her.

He will never let her go again.

xXx


End file.
